Youghal's Jake O’Brien key to Lyon’s revival in France 

WHEN relegation was a real possibility for seven-time Ligue 1 champions Lyon earlier this season, Cork’s Jake O’Brien stepped up and helped steady the ship in the south of France.

The defender – who once lined out for Youghal United and Cork City – scored the goal to get Les Gones their first win of the season, against Rennes at the beginning of November and the team used that result as a springboard to move up to 15th in the league.

O’Brien is at the heart of Lyon’s resurgence, he even got two goals during a 3-2 defeat to Lens.

His work has been noticed by those in France, as the Youghal native was named Player of Month for December 2023.

What this has done, is help alleviate fears of relegation at one of the most storied and successful clubs in France, a side that was playing in the Champions League semi-finals just four years ago.

Les Gones got there by getting out of a group that had RB Lepizig, Benfica, and Zenit Saint Petersburg. 

The next round paired Lyon with a Juventus team hell-bent on winning the trophy with Cristiano Ronaldo, and they stopped the Old Lady in their tracks. 

Next up was a one-legged meeting with Premier League champions Manchester City and Pep Guardiola’s side lost 3-1 at the Estádio José Alvalade.

Lyon returned to Europe in 2021 and managed to reach the Europa League quarter-finals by knocking out Portuguese giants Porto, and they lost to a West Ham team on the rise under David Moyes. It turns out, that was the high point as longstanding issues from the pandemic took a toll on the day-to-day running of the football club. 

The loss of match-day revenue was one thing, and it was followed by a points-per-game method during the 2019-20 season meaning a seventh-place finish and no European football for the first time since 1997. As the board got to grips with a chunk of their income disappearing in a matter of months, high-profile players like Memphis Depay and Moussa Dembélé started leaving on free transfers.

BARE

Everything came together to create a mismatched squad that has been described as overfilled in some positions and bare in others. Cheap deals were seen as a way out, and that’s why O’Brien was recruited during the summer of 2023. 

The Athletic even reported that some people at Lyon weren’t impressed by the signing given his lack of first-team experience in an elite environment.

O’Brien answered every question and dealt with everything thrown at him, despite the wider infrastructure at the club falling apart.

Lyon never got going when the 2023-24 season started, and it led to the team getting stuck at the table.

Fans weren’t happy, with a group confronting the players from the stands at one stage and one supporter even took out a megaphone.

“You are wearing the Olympique Lyonnais jersey and you listen to us,” he said.

You are the ones who wear the OL jersey. Others before you have worn it and glorified it. You have no right to tarnish it.

“We want to sing your names with respect and love because we know you play with your heart. But we expect you guys to respect our jersey and to give your all on the pitch.” 

No manager was safe during this period, not even World Cup winners Laurent Blanc and Fabio Grosso.

Lyon kept spiralling and circling the drain until O’Brien hit the winner at Rennes and the club finally got three points on the board.

The players found form in December and they won three games in a row for the first time all year, with the most impressive result being a 1-0 away win at Monaco. That has moved them up to 15th in the table.

And O’Brien has been crucial to that, and not because of his ability to score goals. 

STAR TURN

His stats in possession and tackling have been repeatedly praised by the club, and this was validated by a Player of the Month Award. 

It might be one accolade, but it feels like a start for the defender who helped turn Lyon’s season around.